Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1887-02-17

L capacity, be denied the pension provided In
receiving s12 or more per month; but ts on june
| 30, 1886, there were on tbs pension rolls 202,-
62I persons who were receiving ffty-eight diff
$II.7s per month. OF those 2S, 142 were re-
ceiving So per month: SO, ZIG. 81 per month;
37,a34. So per month; and so. 274, whose dsai
bilities were rated as total SO per month.
| EVEN IT'S ADVOCATES DIFFERED
As to the meaning Of the section Of the bill
under consideration, there appears to have been
difference OF opinion among its advocates in
congress. The chairman Of the COMMITTEES on
/ pensions In the house of representatives. who
provision for pensioning any one who has less
disability thaa a total disability to labor; and
that 1t was charity measure. The chairman OF
the committee on pensions in the senate, having
charge of the bill in that body. dissented from
the construction Of the bill announced in the
house OF representatives aud declared that 1t not
only embraced all soldiers totally disabled, but
in his Judgment ali who are disabled 70 any con-
| siderable extent: and such a construction was
substantially given TO the bill by another dis
tinguished senator who, as former secretary OF
| the interior, had imposed upon him the duty Of
! executing the pension laws and determining
their intent and meaning. Another condition
Required Of claimants under this act Is that they
| sNEll be dependent upon their daily labor for
! support" This language; which may be said to
assume that there exists within the reach
| OF the persons mentioned labor" or the
| ability in some degree 10 work, Is more aptly
| used Ia a statute describing those not wholly
deprived OF this ability than In one which deals
with those utterly unable to work. am Of the
| opiuion that it may fairly be contended that
under the provisions OF this section any soldier
| whose faculties of mind or body have become
| impaired by accident disease or age Irrespective
1 OF his service in the army as q cause, and who
by his labor only is incapable OF gaining the fair
4 support he might with unimpaired powers have
| provided for himself. and who is so well en-
lowed with this worlds goods as to live with
| out work may claim to participate in its bounty:
! that 1t IL not required that be should be with
/ out property, but only that labor should be
necessary TO his support In some degree, nor Is
! 1t required that he should be now receiving sup
| port from others. Believing this to be the
proper Interpretation of the bill, cannot but
remember that the soldiers Of our civil war IN
| their pay and bounty received such compensa-
tion for military service as has never been re-
ceiyed by soldiers before since mankind first
went to war; that never before, on behalf OF any
soldiers, have so many and such generous Tvs
1 dents OF war: that statutes have been passed
| GIVING THEM PREFERENCE
| In all public employments; that the really needy
| and homeless Union soldiers of the Rebellion
have been to a large extent provided for at
| soldiers homes, instit led and suDpolted by
| the government, where they are maintained to-
/ gether, free from the sense OF degradation which
attaches TO the usual support OF charity. and
4 that never before in the history Of the country
has II been proposed TO render government aid
| toward the support OF any OF its soldiers based
alone upon military service so recent, and
| where age and circumstances appeared so little
to demand such aid Hitherto such relief has been
/ granted to surviving soldiers few in number.
venerable In age, after long lapse Of time since
| their military services, and as parting bone
faction tendeLed py gTateisl people can
| soldiers who, having contentedlv resumed their
places inthe ordinary vacations Of life hold sacred
ing been disabled by the casualties Of war Justly
| regard the present pension roll, on which ap-
! pear their names as a roll OF honor, desire
| at the time and IN the present exigency to be
| COMPOUNDED with those who, through such a bill
as this are willing TO be objects OF simple char
| ity, and to gain place on the pension roll
! through alleged discrepancies. Recent personal
/ observation and experience constrain me to re-
fer to another result which will inevitably fol-
| low the approval Of the bill, IL is sad, but
nevertheless true, that already in the matter OF
| procuring pensions there exists a widespread
disregard Of truth and good faith, stimulated BY
these who, as agents, undertake to establish
the expectant beneficiary, and encouraged, or at
/ least not condemned BY those unwilling to OBJ
struci neighhor,s plans. In the execution OF
wide field Of inquiry would be opened for the
est Enlistment of fact largely within the knowl-
| edge of the claimants and there can DO no doubt
that the pensions offered by this bill would not
| only stimulate weakness ana pretended inca
pacity for labor, but put further premium on
dishonesty and Inendacity. The effect Of new
invitations to apply for pensions. or of new ad-
yaptages added to causes for pensions already
| existing, Is
Thus, in March, 1872 large arrearages of pen
sions were allowed to be added to all kinds filed
| prior to July /, 1880. For the year from July
i. ~. IL
673 claims, though ia the year immedist
previous there were but 36, $50 filed, and in {,
4 year following but ls,455. While cost should
| not be set against patriotic duty or the recog-
milton of a right, still. when measure proposed
| is based upon generosity or motives of charity,
| II is not amiss TO mediate somewhat upon the
| expense which IL involves. Experience has
demonstrated, believe. that all estimates con-
corning the probable future cost Of a pension
| list are uncertain and unreliable, and always
fall far below actual realization The chairman
| Of the house committee on pensions calculates
that the number OF pensioners under this bill
4 would be 30. los. and the INCREASED annual cost
81, 767, 40. This is upon the theory that
| only thoss who are cnttyely unable to
the principie Of she such sS
pension law Of 1913. much more clearly
! stated. It seems to me, than In this. When the
law Of 1918 was upon its passage In congress
the number Of pensioners to be benefited there
by was thought to be 374, but the number Of
| number Of pensions actually allowed 20, ass,
| costing IL Is reported, for the first year 81
$4,000 instead Of $4,000. the estimated ex-
1853 for the benefit OF the surviving widows Of
| Revolutionary soldiers who were married after
Jan. i, 1900 II was estimated that they num-
bered 800 at the time OF the passage OF the act
but the number of pensions allowed 3,74l
and the amount paid for such pensions during
the tirst year Of the operation Of the act was
$4,000 instead Of $4,000, as had been esti-
mated. have made no search for other Illus
tTations. and the above being at hand
| are given as tending to show that esti-
IL none should lie pensioned under this bill, ex-
| cept those utterly unable to work, am salts
fed that the cost stated in the estimate referred
| to would be many times multiplied and with a
constant increase from year to year; and IL
| those partially unable to earn their support
should be admitted to the privileges Of this bill
the probable increase Of expenses would be al
most appalling. think 1t may be said that at
the close of the Rebellion every Northern state,
aud great majority of Northern counties and
cities were burdened with taxation owing to the
large DountieS paid our soldiers: and the bonded
| debt thereby created still constitutes larga
| item in the account of the tax-gatherer against
| the people Federal taxation, no less borne by
| the people than that levied directly upon their
| property, is still maintained at the rate made
necessary by exigencies OF war If this bill
should become a law, with it's tremendous
| ADDITION TO OUR PREVIOUS OBLIGATION,
| am thoroughly convinced that further efforts
| to reduce the federal revenue and restore some
part Of IL to our people would, and perhaps
| should be seriously questioned. II has con-
| stantly been a cause of Drids and congratula-
ton TO the American citizen that his country Is
| not put to the charge of maintaining large
standing army in time OF peace: yet we are now
| living under war tax which has been tolerated
| in peaceful times to meet the obligations in
| CURED in war But for years past, in all parts
| of the country, the demand for the reduction Of
| the burdens OF taxation upon our labor and pro-
duction has increased in volnme and urgency.
| am not willing to approve a measure presenting
the objections to which this bill is subject, and
| which, moreover, will have the effect OF uisap-
pointing the expectation Of the people
lief from war taxation in time Of
| place. In my last annual message the following
language was used: Every patriotic heart re-
spends to tender consideration for those who.
having served their country long and well, are
reduced TO restitution and dependence, not as
an incident of their services, but with advancing
age or through sickness or misfortune. We are all
tempted by the contemplation OF such condi-
| tion to supply relief. and are often i'm
patient Of. the limitations Of public duty.
Yielding to no one in the desire to indulge this
| feeling Of consideration. cannot rid myself of
the con-iction that IL these ex-sodiers are to be
relieved they and their cause are entitled to the
| benefit OF an enactment under which relief may
| be claimed as right, and that such relief should
be granted under the sanction OF law, not in eva
sion of It, nor should such worthy objects
of care, all equally entitled, be remitted to the
unequal operation Of sympathy or the tender
mercies OF social and political influence, with
their unjust Determinations" do rot think
that the objects, the conditions and the Iimita-
| tions thus suggested are contained in the bill
under consideration. adhere to the sentiments
thus heretofore expressed, but the evil threat
| ened by this bill is in my opinion such that,
charged with great responsibility In behalf Of
| the people, can not do otherwise than TO bring
| to the consideration of this measure my best
efforts of thought and Judgment and perform
my constitutional duty in relation thereto re-
gardess of all consequences except such as APP
pear TO me to be related to the bes5 aud highest
! GROVER CLEVELAND.
Executive Mansion, Washington, Feb. IL, 1887.
The reading of the message was followed
| with stricter attention than is generally ac-
corded to such documents At its conclusion
Mr. Matson moved that the bill and accom-.
panying message be referred to the commit
tee on invalid pensions, promising that they
would be reported back within the coming
| week The motion was agreed to-137 70
81.
The independents advices from all sec
| tions OF Montana territory the themome-